The technical field of invention relates to a lathe device. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a drill press lathe attachment for rotating a workpiece along a horizontal axis to remove material from the workpiece to form it into a desired shape.
On a woodworking lathe, the cutting tools are usually held by hand against a tool rest and are moved inward and outward perpendicular to the axis of rotation and also back and forth along the axis of rotation to form a shape such as a furniture leg. By contrast, on a metalworking lathe, the cutting tools are held rigidly in a tool holder that is mounted on a movable carriage. The cutting tool is moved inward and outward perpendicular to the axis of rotation and also back and forth along the axis of rotation either by hand cranking carriage and leadscrew handwheels or under power from the lathe. Generally, material may be removed from the workpiece with greater precision using a metalworking lathe than is possible using a woodworking lathe.
A typical lathe includes a headstock and a tailstock disposed upon a horizontal bed allowing a workpiece to be placed between the two and supported at least by a spindle projecting from the headstock and typically by the spindle as well as a live center mounted on the tailstock. Typically, an electric motor, belts, and gears are housed in the headstock and provide rotational forces to the spindle. The spindle rotates the workpiece along a horizontal axis, and the workpiece may then be reduced (or turned) to the desired shape by (hand or mechanical) application of the cutting tools. Precision is maintained by the axial alignment of the spindle and the precision ground surfaces (or ways) upon which the tailstock (and carriage) slides back and forth along the axis of rotation.
It is common practice to use a standalone lathe for woodworking and metalworking applications. Likewise, a separate and dedicated drill press is typically used for drilling and boring applications, a separate and dedicated table saw is used for cutting operations, and so on. However, combination or multi-purpose tools are available in the marketplace which require less shop space, potentially reduce overall equipment costs, or offer a desired utility in routine situations. These combination tools tend to be more complex in structure and require manipulation to reconfigure them from one function to another. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,135 (1996) to Beth et al. discloses a combination woodworking tool with the combined capabilities of a drill press, router, and woodworking lathe. To use this tool as a lathe, the powerhead is vertically adjusted down to the horizontal bed while also rotatably adjusted for positioning the spindle in a horizontal position for cooperation with a separately mounted lathe tailstock and tool rest.
Another approach may be to convert a conventional drill press into a lathe. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,089 (2000) to McCormick discloses a drill press modified for use as a wood lathe using a driving spur affixed to the chuck of the drill press for engaging one end of a wood workpiece. An adapter plate is affixed to the bed of the drill press whereon a tailstock is attached for engagement with the opposite end of the wood workpiece. And a tool rest is affixed to the adapter plate for use with a shaping tool. Operation of the resulting device involves rotating the workpiece along its vertical axis to remove material from the workpiece to form it into a desired shape. This non-traditional (vertical) orientation may be undesirable for a variety of lathe applications.
What is needed is a drill press lathe attachment that retains the advantages and benefits of conventional woodworking and metalworking lathes while providing improved mobility, lower cost, simplicity of use, and so forth. What is needed, therefore, is a drill press lathe attachment designed for rotating a workpiece along a horizontal axis to remove material from the workpiece to form it into a desired shape.
The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.